Transit Ticket For 6 Systems Set for Trial / `Smart card' will take riders around Bay Area

Catherine Bowman, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, May 19, 1999

1999-05-19 04:00:00 PDT BAY AREA -- Forget about scrambling for change to hop on Muni. Forget about trying to get a soggy BART ticket to work. Soon, Bay Area residents will be able to use a single plastic card on six different transit systems.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is expected to award a contract next week to a consortium led by Motorola Inc. to develop and operate the "TransLink" card -- a major step forward in transforming the Bay Area's crazy-quilt of public transit into a seamless system. If approved, a six-month test of the tickets will begin in fall 2000.

"There are all sorts of inconveniences and hassles that transit users have to put up with that this card will largely eliminate," said MTC spokesman Steve Heminger. "We believe they deserve a break."

During the pilot program, the cards will be good on selected routes on BART, Muni, Golden Gate Transit, AC Transit, Caltrain and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. If the experiment proves successful, supporters hope to see a universal fare card used on every bus, train and ferry in the Bay Area in two years.

The plastic ticket, which looks like a credit card, is based on "smart card" technology. Each card is embedded with a computer chip that is scanned by an electronic "reader" -- a device the size of a Kleenex box that would be installed on a bus or at a station. Each time a card is used, the cost of the ride is automatically deducted.

"You can put a Muni Fast Pass on it or a dollar value that can be used on any system," said Russell Driver, MTC's TransLink project manager. "You can also do both."

At least 5,000 people are expected to participate in the pilot program, which would cost nearly $20 million. If all 25 Bay Area transit agencies agree to participate in a permanent program, it would cost an estimated $114 to $150 million for the first 10 years, Driver said.

Whether TransLink cards pop up on every bus and train in the Bay Area in the next few years remains to be seen. Several transit agencies have already questioned the cost of the program.

"I have a concern about spending $20 million on a test project," said Rick Fernandez, AC Transit's acting general manager, who would have preferred to see a test involving fewer agencies. "It's a lot of money to put into a new technology you're not sure is going to be widely used -- or a system the region will be comfortable with."

If the TransLink program becomes permanent, he said, AC Transit could have to pay $863,000 a year or more on transaction fees that would be paid to a clearinghouse that would distribute the revenue. Furthermore, he said, there are already ways for passengers to switch from one system to another.

"There's currently a Muni Fast Pass and a BART Plus ticket, which is good on AC Transit and BART," he said. "That's the majority of the people that would want to go between systems."

Driver disagrees.

"The system looks very cost-effective if you look at the fact that many riders will be using it and agencies could spend less on administering individual passes and ticket programs," he said.

All Golden Gate Transit ferries will accept the cards during the test, Driver said. The card also will be good at eight Caltrain stations, including the stop at Fourth and Townsend streets in San Francisco, and at BART stations in downtown Oakland and San Francisco, El Cerrito Del Norte and Concord.

Current plans call for the card to be accepted at all Muni Metro stations in downtown San Francisco and on selected bus routes. Driver said officials are discussing whether to expand the experiment to include the N-Judah line.

Unlike a BART ticket that has to be inserted in a fare gate, the TransLink card can be waved in front of the reader. As long as the card is within five inches of the device, it can remain tucked inside a wallet, a purse or a backpack, and still be easily scanned.

During the pilot program, customers will be able to add value to cards by stopping at selected stores or certain BART and Muni stations. But those who do not want to stand in line can sign up for a program that will automatically transfer funds from the customer's bank account to the TransLink card.

This is the second time a universal fare card has been tested in the Bay Area. BART and a Contra Costa County bus agency, County Connection, tested a similar card a few years ago. The results were poor: The tickets, which were paper, had to be inserted into fare boxes, and the constant movement on the buses damaged the magnetic readers.

Although "smart cards" are used in public transit systems in Hong Kong, Korea and other places around the world, the Bay Area is one of the first areas in the nation to experiment with the tickets.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which serves the Washington, D.C., area, started its own permanent program yesterday that allows passengers to use smart cards in its rail system and parking lots. Eventually, the agency hopes the cards will be used by other transit agencies as well.

Seven transit agencies in Washington state's Puget Sound area, which have also tested smart cards, are scheduled to launch a permanent system in March 2001.

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